The Cleveland Browns, if they stand pat, are likely to find cornerback help available in Round 3 this year if they want it. This year's draft is rich in cornerbacks with blinding speed.
It's not all about speed, but if there is one position where speed should be emphasized, it is cornerback. A slow wide receiver can sometimes star in the NFL if he has the right moves and great hands, but a slow corner is just dead meat.
The Browns proved that they can scout cornerbacks, nailing the pick in the third round last year with Martin Emerson, Jr. out of Mississippi State. MJ didn't have elite speed at 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but he turned out to have excellent football sense, was hard-nosed, and did not play like a rookie.
By the end of the season, he was the team's best cornerback. He started six games, with 63 combined tackles and 15 passes defended. It would not be a stretch to say that he would have been regarded as a successful pick had he been selected in the first round.
This season, like last year, the cornerback position is very deep and there are guys who can absolutely blow the doors off. On the second page of this article, there is a list of fully 18 ballplayers with 40-yard dash times of 4.47 seconds or faster.
D.J. Turner from the University of Michigan (or The School Up North, if you are a Buckeyes fan), heads the list, clocking in at an astounding 4.26 seconds. There are seven players who are in the 4.3s. Last season, 4.3 speed was available in the second round.
This year, there may well be 4.3 guys who survive into Round 3. Page three discusses some players who might be very intriguing in Round 4 or later, including the NFL All-Slow team special.
Plenty of speed will be available in Round 3
As crazy as it sounds, not only could the Browns find themselves with 4.4 options in Round 3, but many of the mock drafts are saying that Round 3 may have some 4.3 players available. Both D. J. Turner of Michigan and Jakorian Bennett of Maryland are perceived as having some weaknesses that could cause them to slide to as late as the third round, according to mock drafts by NFL.com, Pro Football Focus, and several others.
Conversely, Devon Witherspoon from Illinois did not run the 40-yard dash due to a hamstring injury, but is a highly regarded prospect and could go in the first round.
It's anybody's guess, but many of the mocks are saying that about eight to ten corners will be drafted by the time it is the Browns' opportunity to select a player with the 74th overall pick. Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson from TCU seems to pop up on many of the mock drafts in about this range.
Cornerbacks with Sub 4.5 Combine Times (seconds)
1. D.J. Turner, Michigan, 4.26 seconds
2. Jakorian Bennett, Maryland – 4.30 seconds
3. Deonte Banks, Maryland, 4.35 seconds
4. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State, 4.35 seconds
5. Kelee Ringo Georgia, 4.36 seconds
6. Darius Rush South Carolina, 4.36 seconds
7. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon, 4.38 seconds
8. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson Texas Christian, 4.41 seconds
9. Terell Smith, Minnesota, 4.41 seconds
10. Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville, 4.42 seconds
11. Cam Smith, South Carolina, 4.43 seconds
12. Riley Moss, Iowa, 4.45 seconds
13. Tyrique Stevenson, Miami, 4.45 seconds
14. Joey Porter Jr. Penn State, 4.46 seconds
15. Darrell Luter, South Alabama 4.46 seconds
16. Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern 4.47 seconds
17. Cory Trice Jr. Purdue, 4.47 seconds
18. Mekhi Blackmon, University of Southern California, 4.47 seconds
The Browns also have a compensatory pick at 98th overall. Clark Phillips III, from Utah (who at 4.51 seconds just missed our list) is getting some love in this region. Kei'Trel Clark may also slide due to his lack of size (five-foot-ten and 176 pounds).
The All-Slow Team Special
Okay, okay. You've heard all about how important speed is. But there is always a counter-argument, and the NFL draft is much more complex than just drafting according to 40-yard dash time. So who do we have in our crosshairs who is not blazing fast but is nevertheless a top NFL prospect?
For your consideration, what about Jaylon Jones from Texas A&M University? He put up an atrocious 4.57 sec 40 yard dash time at the combine. Normally, statheads would disqualify a guy like him. But wait, Jones is a relatively big guy at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds.
The AFC North is full of big physical receivers, rather than these little bitty speedster types. Second, something is wrong with his 40-yard time. At his Pro Day, they said he ran a 4.4. Now, what does that mean? Does not Texas A&M have the capability to measure three significant figures like the rest of modern American society?
Do you guys use sundials down there instead of electronic stopwatches, or what exactly is your technical issue? Wal-Mart sells stopwatches for 10 bucks that give three significant digits. That is very disappointing. At any rate, we assume that he knocked off at least 0.58 seconds from his time if we can trust this result with such primitive reporting.
Anyway, here's what is really wrong with Jones' 40-yard dash time: he has almost no stats. That is what cornerbacks want. If corners have huge stats for tackles made, it means other teams are throwing against him all day long.
Jones played 601 snaps and they only targeted him 19 times. Pro Football Focus says that other teams took him on deep routes only nine times all year long. That's crazy for a guy who is 4.57 fast playing in the SEC.
Look, if other teams in the SEC, with all those star receivers, were afraid to throw against him, it has to mean that he can play in the NFL. He is a starter. This is a rare case when the stopwatch lies. Or, more precisely, the stopwatch can be used to diagnose a tweaked hamstring during the event.
Upon further review, Jones clocked 1.48 seconds (93rd percentile) at the 10-yard split, but somehow slowed to 4.57 seconds (22nd percentile) at the 40. The numbers suggest that he had a hamstring issue or something between yards 10 and 40 and slowed down. Thus 4.57 seconds is very unlikely to be a true indicator of his ability. Once you wrap your brain around that, the logical conclusion is that this guy is a shutdown corner. Draft him.
Purdue cornerback Cory Trice Jr. is projected on many boards to be a sixth or seventh-round pick. However, he is 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds and scored well in agility drills at the combine. We like the big guys who can run fast and maintain traction in the snow in December and January in the snow. He may get bumped up to the fourth round or so after his Combine performance.
Another kid to watch is Darrell Luter from South Alabama. They say he is a seventh round pick with 4.47 speed. He comes from a small school, which means he never played against top receivers, and he will be 23 years old this month, so happy birthday, but he is an old man in terms of the draft.
However, he has a 41-inch vertical and he has 10 and three-eighths-inch, hands. Good grief. Those are traits that cannot be taught. Let's not even give him a position this season. Work him out a little at special teams, extra DB and wide receiver, and see what the coaches think is his real position. Next year is soon enough to let him contend for a full-time job.
There are starting players available in Round 3 and Round 4 at this position this year. The Browns should draft at least one, and perhaps two or three.